ABDF

Prior work in a developing country.

Details: Culture shock is a very real thing and will happen to everyone. Experience working and living in a developing country helps mitigate culture shock. However, everybody experiences culture shock differently; some seasoned veterans still have a hard time while some newbies have little difficulty. There is no way of knowing how you will react until you try living abroad.

Computer skills, particularly Microsoft Word and Excel, as well as the internet. The ability to use multimedia software for teaching is highly desirable, as is the ability to instruct students and teachers in such software.

Details: The government is pushing IT training courses at the upper grade levels, but in general basic computer knowledge will prove very helpful.

Note: If you happen to be a computer geek as well as a teacher, then your skills are HIGHLY desirable. Depending on what your skills may be, you can do anything and everything from designing a way for teachers to keep their class records electronically, to teaching teachers how to prepare multimedia lessons, to teaching the upper grade basic IT classes – all in English! Keep in mind though that infrastructure will be minimal at best. But really, the sky’s the limit.

Health care / First Aid knowledge. Because you never know what situation might arise.

Details: True, so true. Accidents happen, and most teachers here have little knowledge of what to do if, say, some kid chokes on his food, or cuts himself badly. Let alone the signs of heatstroke or dehydration.

If you are skilled in first aid and health education, we would love to have you! You can teach the Heimlich maneuver, CPR, etc to teachers and students both in your assigned school and other area schools as well. The knowledge is really needed. For example, kitchen burns are a frequent experience, but few people know that putting oil or grease on the burn is the worst thing you can do.